


On Possession: Epilogues

by chipperdyke



Series: On Possession: Text and Epilogues [3]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, Shameless Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-22
Updated: 2016-03-12
Packaged: 2018-05-15 13:33:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5787079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chipperdyke/pseuds/chipperdyke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(f)Adaar and Josephine live happily ever after with their daughter. A series of semi-connected one-shots that should finish the game off and follow the slight canon divergence to its logical conclusion.</p><p>Do not expect fluff. Also do not expect anything viscerally disturbing or particularly controversial.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_The Montilyets' names are shamelessly lifted off aviantyro's excellent Meeting the Montilyets._

_If you try this at home, make sure you have plastic wrap on hand. Don't like don't read!_

_Thanks as always to my infinitely patient beta, Sashimae._

* * *

"Where is Aurora?" Jan asked when she closed the door.

"Here," Josephine said, lowering the covers. The infant was sleeping, tiny fists balled against Josephine's breasts. Josephine was wearing a button-down sleeping shirt, and Aurora was lying inside the shirt, with just her shoulders and head peeking out.

Aurora's blue-grey skin against the dusky skin of her mother should have looked strange, but it didn't. They looked completely, entirely right together.

"What did they say?" Jan asked quietly.

"Lay down here," Josephine said, and Jan stripped off her outer layer of clothing and slipped under the covers. Josephine put her hand behind Jan's head and their foreheads met. "How was training today?"

"Fine. I am pretty sore," Jan said, waiting.

"Good." Josephine swallowed and looked at Jan, and the feeling of foreboding only worsened. Whatever Josephine would say, it couldn't be good.

But Josephine just looked down at Aurora, touching the baby's head and tiny, restful shoulders. "She's so beautiful, Jan. I never imagined I could love anything so much."

"Me, either."

"Thank you for giving her to me," Josephine said, and now there were tears in her eyes.

Jan scoffed and kissed Josephine's forehead and eyes, wiping the tears away. Josephine started truly crying, and each tear Jan wiped away was replaced by two more. "Sush," Jan murmured, moving closer and putting one arm around them both. She stroked Josephine's back and kissed her cheek. "I love you," she repeated, over and over.

Finally Josephine calmed, and Jan said, "She is an impossible miracle, isn't she? She really looks like our baby. It seems just… unbelievable."

Josephine nodded, biting her lip. Jan could tell that she was forming a sentence, and waited. "If I could go back and choose, I wouldn't change anything," she said finally.

The statement surprised Jan. "What? Why?" _Everything would be so much easier if Aurora was human._ _Or if she had never been conceived at all._

"Because you are perfect to me," Josephine said, as if that was an explanation. She must have seen Jan's confusion, because she continued, "This is the baby I want. This is the life I would choose. The rest will fall into place."

Jan nodded slowly, worrying her lip. Whatever had happened, it was clearly worse than Jan had feared. "You still have a choice, Josephine. You don't have to plan your life around me, or Aurora."

"I know," Josephine said, and her arm came around Aurora's back protectively. The motion reminded Jan of how she used to hold her belly. Josephine took a deep breath and nodded to herself. "That's what my parents said, too."

The confirmation made Jan's heart drop, and she clenched her jaw against the pain of it. Why should she need the validation of a pair of failed Antivan nobles? The rejection hurt anyway.

Josephine put her hand on Jan's face and drew her in for a kiss. She tasted like tears, still, but the kiss was sweet and fresh. There was no hint of desperation, no seeking, no uncertainty. Jan's offer to release Josephine from the situation had not even been considered. Or maybe it had been considered and rejected long ago.

"They will leave the day after tomorrow," Josephine said when the kiss broke. "I have no regrets."

"Okay," Jan said, and she fought through her own tears. Aurora was tiny and warm inside Josephine's shirt, Josephine's kisses were gentle, and Jan wept for all three of them and the path that had just been closed.

* * *

Jan stood with Josephine when she saw them off. "Thank you for your visit," she said, and shook the old man's hand. Vergilio squeezed her hand back, bowing a little, and Jan turned to Josephine's mother.

Jan never got over the shock of meeting the woman's eyes. They were a swirling gray, just as little darker than Josephine's, and piercing. Jan took her hand and bent over it, brushing her lips on the back of Angioletta's hand.

As Jan straightened, she caught the woman mouthing something to Josephine's father. It was either "civilized" or "uncivilized." She forced herself to smile.

Josephine was bristling next to her. "And your granddaughter," she said. They had asked Josephine to leave Aurora behind yesterday, and Jan spent the day with Aurora, dodging the group of them as they moved around Skyhold.

Vergilio took the step to Josephine and peeked at the tiny grey face. "Goodbye, lovely girl," he said, and kissed the crown of her head. Then he looked at Josephine, his brown eyes soft, and kissed the crown of her head, too.

Josephine smiled at her father, and then her gaze shifted to her mother and hardened. She stepped forward and presented the baby to her mother, and her mother softly placed her hand on the baby's head and murmured something. Then she looked into Josephine's eyes and said, "We will give you as much time as we can, Josephine. You are always welcome at home."

She looked up and met Jan's eye over Josephine's shoulder, and Jan broke the gaze uncomfortably. Moments later they had disappeared into the carriage, beginning the long journey back to Antiva.

* * *

It was fully spring now, and fresh vegetables had finally returned to the tables. Josephine prowled the village marketplace in search of a bouquet of flowers. It was a pleasant ride to the village with Aurora, and she wanted Aurora to see more than just Skyhold in her young life. One of the zucchini caught her eye, and on a whim she bought it.

She and Aurora played and napped together in Jan's room for the rest of the afternoon, waiting. When Jan finally came back, it was fully dark. Josephine brought Aurora to Erin and shared Jan's bath, enjoying the quiet intimacy of their languid kisses. They stayed in the bath until the water was colder than their skin, teasing, unhurried. Then they dried their skin and came together again, and Jan pulled her to the bed, allowing Josephine to straddle her hips. "I had an idea," Josephine said, feeling her wetness against Jan's lap. She was suddenly unsure, and licked her lips nervously.

"Something new?" Jan asked, eyes bright in the candlelight.

"I have been wondering what it would be like to fill you up," Josephine started. "Completely. To stretch you out. To reach all the way inside you."

"You mean this?" Jan asked, and curled Josephine's hand into a fist.

Josephine grinned. "No, something really new."

"Intriguing."

Josephine smiled and pulled open the bedside table, still straddling Jan. She offered the zucchini to her, and Jan took it, understanding immediately.

"What a great idea," Jan said, and kissed Josephine, laying down and drawing Josephine out on top of her. "Do it," she said.

Josephine rolled partially off Jan and ran her fingers down Jan's torso. She dipped her finger into Jan, enough to know that Jan was as ready as her panting breath indicated, and then she picked up the zucchini and rubbed the end of it against Jan's entrance, keeping her fingers close so she could feel what was happening. Jan's hips shuddered, and Josephine rested the length of the vegetable against Jan's thigh and kissed her thoroughly. Jan didn't wait; she moaned into Josephine's kiss and thrust her hips against the hard, smooth head. Her juices coated the surface, and Josephine registered her own wetness through the heavy fog of lust, coating the insides of her thighs.

She pressed the zucchini harder into Jan's sex, but the head was too big to enter her. Jan broke the kiss and arched her back, and Josephine grabbed her breast with one hand and bit her nipple. "Oh, fill me up," Jan begged. "Take me."

Josephine propelled herself down on the bed so that she could see what was happening. She rubbed the head of the zucchini up and down Jan's slit and then stopped at her entrance, pressing into her. She worked the tip into Jan, watching her face carefully. A thrill of goosebumps ran down Jan's body, and she grabbed her own breasts, her hips still and waiting.

Josephine worked the back of the zucchini up and down until the bulbous head disappeared into Jan, and then she released it and slid back up Jan's body. Jan's head was thrown back, but she met Josephine's kiss with a breathless eagerness. "Are you OK?" Josephine asked.

Jan just moaned and held Josephine, her hips making small circles. Josephine reached down and felt the zucchini at Jan's entrance, contacting Jan's soaked clit almost by accident. Jan's body jerked into her hand, and Josephine rubbed Jan's clit with more purpose.

Jan cried out and wrapped her arms around Josephine, and her body started shaking. Josephine pulled her hand away, not ready to be finished. "Did you come?" she asked when Jan slowed.

"Mm, no," Jan moaned.

"Can I?" Josephine asked, and grabbed the shaft of the zucchini again. She pressed it up into Jan's entrance, and more of the shaft disappeared into her. She kept pushing until it hit Jan's upper wall.

Jan choked out another moan. "It's so big."

"I like filling you up," Josephine whispered, and straddled Jan, forcing Jan's legs closed. Jan bucked into her, grabbing her hips. Jan loved this pose, loved to feel Josephine's need as she rode her, and Josephine craved the sense of shared experience. She ground herself into Jan's mound, relishing the contact of her clit against Jan, the slick wetness on Jan's hips, and Jan's body pulsed into hers.

"I'm going to -" Jan gasped.

"I know, baby. Come for me." Josephine felt the orgasm rush through Jan and almost came herself, thinking of the tightness of Jan's body around the shaft, the feathery-light contact of Jan's lips against her own clit. As Jan's body twitched and strained, Josephine ground harder, but just as the sweetness was within reach Jan finally stopped moving, and the moment was done.

Josephine kissed Jan, who kissed her weakly back, and then climbed off her. She gently pulled the zucchini out of Jan, and Jan winced. She put it on the bed and then pulled Jan onto her side. Jan groggily wrapped her arms around Josephine, and nuzzled her hair. "That was an amazing idea," Jan said finally, and kissed a line down from Josephine's temple to her nipple. Josephine arched into the touch, and Jan reached behind her for the zucchini.

"Your turn?" she asked, eyes glinting.

Josephine had already flipped on her back, her legs drawing Jan toward her. She nodded, impatient, and Jan put the zucchini between them. The contact was cold and wet with Jan's desire, and Josephine pressed herself down onto the shaft. She felt the tip between her lips, but it was too big to even imagine inside her.

Jan leaned forward and kissed her deeply, her left hand over Josephine's breast and her right still guiding the zucchini. Josephine closed her legs against the cold shaft, letting Jan slide it between her soaked thighs, enjoying Jan's body on top of hers, her stomach on her hips. The vegetable felt strange and large between their bodies, but Josephine was quickly learning its shape.

Then Jan leaned into the other end of it, pressing it harder into Josephine's entrance. The motion was almost casual, practiced, and Josephine closed her eyes and opened herself up to it. The shaft slid along her thighs and almost inside her, except that it was too big. Josephine gasped into Jan's kiss, thinking of her essence at her entrance, longing to have Jan's wetness inside her.

Jan pulled back away, her body following the shaft down, and then she thrust again, the motion feeling almost like penetration, although the head still only strained at her entrance. Jan's weight above her had never felt so good. Josephine worked her hips, remembering how she had worked the zucchini into Jan. It was no use.

"Jan, I need you," Josephine gasped. "Just give me your fingers."

"No, I want this," Jan said, and Josephine thrust her body hard into the head, biting Jan's lip. It was impossible.

"I just want your wetness," Josephine said again. "Touch yourself and then fuck me."

Jan threw the zucchini away from them. She dipped her fingers into herself and then she was inside Josephine, rubbing her clit with her thumb, stroking her. Josephine shuddered at the sudden fulfillment, grabbing Jan's shoulder. She was overtaken by the singular sensation of both longing and utter satisfaction, control and complete abandon. Jan's fingers were perfect and yet never quite enough, but Josephine's body was so stunned by Jan's touch that she could only gasp, unable to find the word for "more." Jan was not taking her time; there was no tease to her touch, only a driving need.

The orgasm felt almost the same as the sex, a smooth continuation of the fulfillment and longing, and when it was over Jan kissed her hard and asked, "Can I keep going?" Jan was panting hard and her eyes glinted, unsatisfied.

Josephine nodded breathlessly, and Jan resumed the motion, focusing more on Josephine's clit than before. Josephine started moving again, rocking into Jan's touch and grasping at her shoulders. Her second orgasm was a faint flicker, and then she pushed Jan's hand away from her and pulled Jan down onto her chest, trembling in shock. Jan's touch soothed the numb rushing of Josephine's body, and finally they were on the ground again, two bodies joined in sweetness.


	2. Chapter 2

 

_Dad,_

_All is well here, for now. I wasn't sure if you got my letter last month, and sometimes the ravens get lost finding our camps, so I thought I would send you another._

_We depart tomorrow for the temple, and I don't know what we will find there. Probably Corypheus. I will be glad to finish this, although the last time I faced Corypheus still gives me nightmares. I was able to distract him - that was all._

_Now I can feel the Mark through to my elbow. The light wakes Josephine in the night. I have gained - not mastery of it, but - we have developed an understanding, the Mark and I. I hope that I will have the will to coerce it into helping me, this final time._

_Promise me that you will come to Skyhold when this is finished, however it plays out. I think Aurora would like to see another Vashoth; we are awfully few in Skyhold, and I suspect that the Iron Bull will move on after this. You might be the only person who looks like her as she grows up._

_And if I live? Josephine promises that she will marry me._

Aurora yelled, breaking Jan's concentration. She had been rocking the cradle with her foot as she wrote, but that tactic had reached the end of its usefulness. The sky was just lightening, and the din of the baby echoed loudly in the forest, so Jan dropped the pen and picked the baby up immediately.

She checked her napkin, finding nothing, and then held Aurora's check against hers. "Are you too hot? Mama always puts too many blankets on you when she leaves, doesn't she?"

Aurora grunted and palmed Jan's face. "You're right," Jan said, and turned the baby around in her arms, bouncing. "Ok, let's see what we can find." She went over to the chest and pulled out a strawman. "Here, you like to eat this, don't you?" She gave Aurora the strawman, and Aurora immediately dropped it, letting out an earsplitting yell.

She put Aurora down on the cot and retrieved the strawman. Aurora chewed on it thoughtfully for a few minutes and then threw it away from herself, starting to fuss again. Jan picked her up and she nuzzled into her breast, and finding nothing, screamed in fury, her tiny body arching in Jan's arms.

"Crap," Jan said, and put her finger in Aurora's mouth. Aurora sucked with vigor, and Jan poked her head out of the tent. "Hey, Erin?" she whispered at the adjoining tent. After a few moments, Jan hesitantly rang the tiny bell the staff had rigged on her own tent.

Neither effort produced a result. Erin had either left the camp, or was in league with Corypheus. Josephine must have already heard, though, so they likely didn't need to wait long.

"Alright, we are just going to stay put and wait it out," she told Aurora, and sat her down on the cot. Aurora swayed a little, but was able to stay upright. "Here, look. The strawman has a friend now." It was a ragged collection of stitched-together cloth in the vague shape of another man. "This one is called Jim. Look how much taller the strawman is. I bet if the strawman tried, he could really beat up Jim."

Aurora grimaced and yelled again, throwing herself back onto the cot and writhing in discomfort. Her tiny face was the image of misery.

"You're right, that's a terrible idea. Oh, I am so sorry," Jan said, and picked Aurora back up again. "I can't help you. You are _so_ upset. Oh! Here," Jan said, and went back outside with Aurora on her hip.

The camp had come alive, although the early morning was still somewhat chill. Jan made a beeline to the kitchen tent and threaded her way through the bakers until she got to the leftover food. She grabbed a covered bowl of mashed yams and a spoon and walked back to her tent.

Aurora kept her head up, looking around, watching the staff. And the staff watched her back, some with affection, some with annoyance, and the rest with a unique brand of trepidation.

The moment she put down Aurora, Aurora began complaining again. "Let's try this," Jan said, and tried feeding her a little yam.

Aurora spit it back out, and Jan used her handkerchief to wipe up the mess. "Oh, that's terrible," Jan said, and ate a few spoonfuls herself. "It's not terrible," Jan protested. "It's really good. Try again."

Aurora refused the spoon, so Jan picked her up again. "Where is Mama?" Jan asked Aurora, who hit Jan's chest with her hand and yelled again. Her face was streaked with tears, and Jan rubbed her head between her stubby horns and bounced, trying to calm her. When that didn't work, Jan shifted her off her hip and pinned her legs around her own waist with her elbows. Aurora had grown so much in the past half-year that Jan could actually carry her like this now.

"Hold on," she told Aurora, offering her hand. When Aurora ignored it, Jan nudged her hands until she grabbed on. She put her arm behind Aurora's back and then dipped her so she was hanging upside-down. Aurora quieted immediately, looking around the tent. She dropped Jan's hand entirely, letting her arms dangle.

The tent flaps rustled, and Josephine said, "Stop that, Jan."

"You're here!" Jan said, picking Aurora back up and rushing over to her.

Josephine scowled at Jan and took Aurora. "I told you not to do that to her."

"My dad used to do it to me all the time," Jan said. "She is _so_ hungry. Erin is MIA. I didn't know what to do."

"Empress Celene is here," Josephine said. "She just arrived."

" _What?_ " Jan was shocked. She went immediately to her chest of clothes and started digging through it. "How?"

"Leliana's scouts must have assumed her group was more reinforcements. They have better things to do, I suppose, than thoroughly search every contingent of Orlesian troops that arrive. Regardless, you must go to meet her immediately."

"Why would she come to the front line?" Jan stripped down and started quickly dressing in her formal wear.

"You wouldn't be so surprised if it was King Alistair, Jan. This is an important battle. Her men need to know that she supports them." Josephine had moved to the chair and, by some miracle, had already freed her breast from the many layers of clothing she wore. Aurora was happily nursing.

"I suppose you're right. It just doesn't seem like a Celene move."

Josephine rolled her eyes at Jan. Jan had finished with the undergarments and was working on her pants.

After a brief pause, Josephine said, "You can't write things like, 'Josephine has promised to marry me.' Do you know how that makes me sound?"

"Not good?" Jan guessed, and grimaced. "I will re-write it."

When Jan was done dressing, Aurora had finished nursing and was staring at Josephine, who was murmuring at her. Aurora was enthralled by Josephine, and it was obvious that Josephine was enthralled in turn, despite the odds. Despite the adversity.

Josephine caught her watching and stood, depositing Aurora in the cradle. She went to Jan and held her, putting her head against Jan's chest. They stood in that embrace, soaking each other in, until Josephine said, "You're not going to die."

She must have read the entire letter. "No," Jan agreed, but Josephine pulled away and pinned her with a fierce stare.

"You sounded almost resigned to it, Jan. I had no idea you felt that way. Don't you want to come back?"

"Of course," Jan said, heart sinking. "I don't know, Josephine. I'm not resigned. But it just seems so hopeless."

Josephine put her hands on Jan's temples. "You are coming back to me."

Jan nodded, throat suddenly thick. "I am coming back." She leaned forward and rested her forehead on Josephine's. "I will defeat this god."

"He's not a god, Jan. He was a man. He can fall."

"I will come back," Jan said, and finally some part of her believed it. She ran her hand down Josephine's side to her hip, and Josephine melted into her. Their lips met in a frantic kiss, and Jan breathed deeply for the first time in what felt like ages. Her body burned for Josephine. "I love you."

Josephine pulled away to look at her, her hand still resting on Jan's neck. "I love you, too."

Jan smiled. "I am going to make you beg," she said, and pulled Josephine's body up to straddle her waist. Josephine didn't resist, putting her arms loosely around Jan's shoulders, but she did raise her eyebrows at Jan.

"You are going to meet Empress Celene."

Jan sighed. "In a few minutes."

"In a few minutes," Josephine assented, and kissed her again.

* * *

"Ambassador Montilyet had said that you plan to marry," Celene said. They were in her tent, which was more ornate than Jan could possibly have imagined. The formalities over, Celene had broken open a bottle of port and was serenely guzzling it.

Jan fought the urge to raise her eyebrows. This was not something Josephine would drop offhandedly. "Ah, yes, we do."

Celene's own eyebrow twitched upward. "A bold move. I would have you know that Orlais will legally recognize such a union, were you to establish your house there."

"The House Montilyet?" Jan clarified, confused. Her jumbled understanding was that Josephine had already renewed the Montilyets' trading rights in Orlais. Was Celene behind the times, or did 'establish' mean something different?

"House Adaar," Celene said, quite deliberately.

"Oh," Jan said, stunned. She scrambled for a response.

"You seem surprised."

Jan shook her head, finding her voice. "It seemed like I wasn't exactly welcome at the Winter Palace," she said.

"It would be a fool that spoke up against you now, Inquisitor," Celene said. "I would have you on Orlais' side, when this is over and your Inquisition disbanded."

It was a bargain, hinted and not named. Jan smiled, finally believing the truth of Celene's offer. "Thank you," she said sincerely. "It would be my honor to settle in Orlais, when all of this is over."

"Indeed." It was not a question.

"Thank you," Jan said again. Could this be enough to change the minds of Josephine's parents? They had made no public moves yet. Maybe they could transfer the inheritance to one of Josephine's brothers, and maintain ties. Jan's head was spinning, and she had never wanted so badly to run to Josephine.

"Thank you for this audience," Celene said, perhaps noticing how Jan's posture had tensed.

"Thank you," Jan said a third time, and stood. "I trust I will see you for dinner?"

"Yes," Celene said. "I plan to circulate among the camps for the rest of the day."

"It was good of you to come," Jan said.

"I could do no less," Celene said, and Jan escaped to Josephine.


	3. Chapter 3

The Breach glowed a familiar, crackling green, and Josephine paced. It was impossible not to watch, visible through every window of Jan's tower. But try as she might, Josephine could not go downstairs to hide from the hideous glow.

So she paced, clutching Aurora, watching the hours rush by, helpless. At midnight she put Aurora down and tried to get work done. She made tea which went cold, untouched, and she watched the Breach.

"I am coming back to you." The sentiment was almost perfunctory, an aside. The moment the green glow in the sky appeared, Jan was ready, utterly focused. There was no stopping her, even if Josephine had given in to the urge to try. The crackle of her hand as she bit back a scream.… It should have made Josephine's heart ache in sympathy, but Jan was not weak, not the Qunari mercenary with the poisonous magical scar. She was the Inquisitor. And she was angry.

There was no stopping her from strapping on her armor, readying her horse. Jan barely paused to say goodbye. Gone was the fear of Corypheus, or perhaps it was buried deep under the layers of steely determination. The Breach was a foe Jan had beaten before, and she was drawn to it like a moth to the flame.

"You take care of her. You bring her back to me." Cassandra had considered Josephine, and then hugged her stiffly.

"That has always been my charge," she had said, her voice betraying nothing. But Cassandra had kept her alive for years, now. Surely she would continue to keep her alive, even if Jan herself was so consumed by purpose that she did not seem to care if she lived or died.

At three in the morning, Aurora woke. Josephine put on her tiny winter coat and pants and paced with her on the balcony. They both watched the Breach, and then Aurora asked for Mommy, eyes wide and a little frightened.

Josephine pressed their cheeks together. "Mommy is there, do you see? She is closing the Breach. She is saving the world."

Aurora shook her head, and Josephine squinted. It looked like - it couldn't be. Battlements - the Temple - floating near the Breach, vague in the distance, through the clouds.

"Where Mommy?" Aurora asked again, her brow crinkled.

"There," Josephine said, and pointed to the battlements in the sky.

And then there was a thundering crack, and the Breach sealed. Even the dancing lights that had marked the spot were gone. It was over. And then the battlements in the sky fell.

Josephine brought Aurora back inside, barely able to set her on her feet and close the balcony doors before she threw up in the latrine bucket. Her hands were clammy and shaking, and everything seemed much farther away than it should be. She was gasping for air, and struggled to hold her breath against the feeling of suffocation, ears ringing. A panic attack.

Aurora toddled over to her and leaned on her where she was sitting against the bed. "No, Mama," she said seriously, and clapped her hand against Josephine's cheek. Josephine picked her up and put her on her lap, clutching her tiny body like a lifeline.

Eventually she recovered enough to stand back up and resume pacing. An hour later, the raven from Leliana finally arrived.

_Breach is sealed. C. is dead. Jan is fine. Making camp here until dawn._

Josephine read the hasty note four times, and then she finally lay down, pulling a few extra blankets over her and Aurora. "Mommy's OK," she whispered, and held Aurora until they both fell asleep.

She slept for a few hours, and then she began preparations for the banquet. Pastries, magically preserved, meant for Aurora's first birthday. Pork, lamb, and beef. It was a blur of pleasantly distracting anxiety, which Josephine happily handed off to Jim and the head cook when Jan returned.

They went by Erin's room and checked on Aurora, who was playing with another toddler and Erin's daughter, and then they stumbled together to Jan's bed and held each other. "I was so afraid," Josephine said.

"I told you I was coming back."

"Don't fight any more, Jan. You have to be safe. You have to stay alive."

"But the Rifts."

Josephine huffed, and then relented. "You can close the remaining Rifts."

Jan grinned and kissed her, and Josephine pulled off her dress and tried to slip Jan's gambeson off. "My body just needs your skin," Josephine said, aware that the words were scattered.

"I'm so dirty. Stinky. Blood-soaked."

"Your skin," Josephine demanded, and Jan pulled off the shirt and pants, moulding her body onto Josephine's. Josephine caressed her, writhing pleasantly against her, slipping her leg between Jan's and perching on top of her. The feeling was not quite sexual, but comfortable, intimate, soothing. She kissed Jan's clavicle, and then rolled Jan on her stomach and laid on her back. Jan's skin raised goosebumps where she trailed her hands.

"Do you want to know what happened?" Jan asked.

"Not really. Corypheus is dead?"

"Yes," Jan mumbled into the bed.

"I never doubted that you could do it," Josephine said, but her heart leapt in pride just the same. "You're just like the Hero of Ferelden now."

Jan scoffed. "But alive."

"A living legend. I love you," Josephine whispered, and then Jan turned back around and held her, returning her light kisses. After a few pleasant moments, Josephine pulled away and glared at Jan. "No more heroics. Don't scare me like that again."

"Yes, my love," Jan said, and Josephine was mollified. She used her leg to caress Jan's side and stomach, letting Jan roll fully on top of her. She locked her arms around Jan's and kissed her deeply, and then ran her hands down Jan's back, nuzzling her neck. Jan put her hand around the outside of Josephine's leg and found her wetness, slipping one finger teasingly inside.

Josephine breathed deeply and let her hips press into Jan's stomach again. She moaned and then resumed her languid caresses, the touches laced with lightning now. Jan didn't move her finger; she just left it inside, enough to connect them, not enough to escalate their contact.

Josephine rolled on top of Jan, keeping her leg up so that Jan's hand didn't need to move. Jan nuzzled her face, passive in this moment, and Josephine put her hand on Jan's breast, avoiding the nipple. Instead she rubbed the lengths of their bodies against each other, her elbows on either side of Jan's head. The motion made Jan's finger slide partially out of her, and she pressed her body back up Jan's body to regain the fullness. "I love you."

Josephine reached down between their bodies and slipped a finger as far as she could inside Jan, and they both stilled. The circuit was complete; they were connected, one wave softly lapping amidst a building tide. Josephine resisted the urge to start a thrusting motion into Jan, but her body was flushed with anticipation now.

"I want this to last forever," she whispered into Jan's ear, listening to their breath, feeling their pulses meld. Her belly burned, but she breathed through it, letting the desire turn to wetness and the wetness coat Jan's finger, her fist against Josephine's core. She closed her eyes until the image faded. And then she started to kiss Jan's face, softly, the contact making her mouth tingle and ache longingly. She carefully moved down to kiss Jan's chest, keeping her hand still in Jan, and then Jan reached up and started rubbing her back again, her touch soothing, sweet, calm. Josephine let her pulse slow to the pace of Jan's caress, and then Jan carefully pushed them on their sides. Josephine was aware of a trail of wetness working its way down the insides of her thighs.

Jan kept her leg up, engulfing Josephine's arm and hip, allowing her the sweet access point, and Josephine fell into the space between her legs, lying mostly on top of her. Her left knee was over Jan's hip, and Jan still reached around her body to penetrate her. Her body was singing, and for a moment she couldn't discern why. Jan's eyes were locked on Josephine's face, and her hips were rocking forward, riding Josephine's finger. The motion of her hips made her finger in Josephine move.

Josephine withdrew from her.

"You are so beautiful," Jan growled. "You have to see yourself. Your lips are swollen, your hair is perfect, you're straddling me and fucking - me -" Jan was panting, impatient.

"I want this to last forever," Josephine said again. "Your touch is too good right now."

Jan nodded and licked her lips, knowing the game, knowing she had lost it. "Yes," she said. "I don't think you can touch me anymore."

Josephine nodded and spread her fingers on Jan's chest, running soft rivulets down it. She pressed her body against Jan's again, and Jan arched into her breasts, unhelpfully. Josephine pressed herself against her lover until Jan quieted again, and then she continued the soft caresses. Jan started to touch her side, fingers greedy, but then she growled deep in her throat and let her hand fall back to the mattress.

The pure desire in Jan's voice was the final blow to Josephine's control. She pushed herself away from Jan and raised her knee up to Jan's waist, giving Jan easier access to her core. "Oh, baby," she said, her belly burning again. She noticed that she was panting, helplessly now. Jan was not going to help her come back this time. "Give me three fingers," she whispered, and Jan pulled out of her and then plunged back in.

Where one finger was teasing, three were too much, straining at her entrance, pressing against the pulse inside her. Josephine put her hands on Jan's chest, holding herself up as Jan's fingers pressed relentlessly into her. Jan slowly buried all three fingers to the last knuckle.

Josephine let her body relish in this satisfaction, the perfect fullness, and then Jan brushed her clit and she was over the edge, her body thrusting helplessly against Jan's as the waves buffeted her. Jan watched her with hungry eyes, her other hand on Josephine's hip, her body still and electric under Josephine's.

When she finished, Josephine let her body down onto Jan's and kissed her. Jan eased her fingers out and replaced the single finger, and Josephine moaned at the continued contact. Her entrance was a ring of sensitivity, teasing pain, and Jan's finger just barely stroked against the pain, tantalizing. She was not, she gathered, finished.

Jan's kisses were sloppy, and Josephine found her fingers inside Jan, settling comfortably, naturally. She kept her thumb on Jan's clit and fucked her, slow and steady, and Jan's inside rippled and clenched at her touch. "What do you want?" Josephine asked, sliding down Jan's body, curling her legs under Jan's thigh. Jan's finger slipped out of her, but Josephine barely noticed.

Jan only moaned into the contact, and Josephine pressed her chest against Jan's stomach, biting her nipple. "Come on," Josephine prompted again. "Talk. Tell me what you want."

"You," Jan managed finally. "This. Yes," she hissed as Josephine escalated the tempo. She was careful to keep her touch on Jan's clit light; too hard would ruin Jan's orgasm, and not enough would frustrate her. Gauging from Jan's reactions, she did not want to be frustrated. Josephine pushed off the bed enough to kiss her, letting her fingers lose the rhythm, and Jan put her arms around her back and kissed her, gaining some coherency. Her body was a perfect, moaning, writhing circle around Josephine's. Josephine slid back down her body and slipped her third finger in, letting their bodies together dictate the rhythm. Her own hips rocked into Jan, stoking the fire, and when Jan came Josephine's body followed the sweet and endless wave.

Josephine removed her fingers from Jan and, when she recovered sufficiently, restarted the movement of her fingers around Jan's body. "I'm not done with you," she whispered, and Jan smiled, her eyes still closed. "You thought you were going to a victory party, didn't you? We'll just see about that."


	4. Chapter 4

Jan moved among the guests of Skyhold with Aurora on her hip, making polite conversation. Their guests expected the baby's presence, but none directly acknowledged the child. The conversations instead circled around the Breach and the Inquisition's new peacetime role.

Jan gave nothing away, and soon she tired of the endless barrage. The last straw was a murmur from behind her: "How could Lady Montilyet parent such a creature?" Even with Josephine across the room from them, their family was still the subject of contention. It made Jan so wish to defend Josephine that she spun, searching out the voice.

Finding no obvious culprit, Jan and Aurora escaped the party, moving down to the lower level to visit Erin and her daughter. The staff would have their own party, when the nobility had retired to their own private chambers; in the meantime, Jan would leave Aurora here. She brought Erin ham, her favorite, but Erin already had a plate in her room - Josephine, thinking far ahead of Jan. Aurora was sleepy, and Jan rocked her cradle until she slept.

Then she went back upstairs, resigned. The sky was still light; it was an hour yet until sunset, when the festivities would likely begin to truly dissolve. Josephine was a lovely whirl of motion, and Jan let her be, instead moving to Cassandra and sitting beside her.

"A fine party," Cassandra observed sourly, looking as miserable as Jan. Jan poured herself a great mug of the porter and grunted acknowledgement. Their companions were already leaving the party, sometimes in pairs, but Cassandra would tough it out. Jan was grateful to her.

They sat silently until Leliana sidled over to Jan. Jan pulled out a chair for her, but she shook her head slightly, leaning carefully over Jan's shoulder to whisper in her ear. "One of the servants has found Dorian unconscious in a closet. He was drugged."

Jan sat up straighter, her mind turning over the news. Dorian had left with the Iron Bull. "Any sign of the Bull?" _Fucking Qunari._ She had hoped that the conflict was not inevitable, but the Qun's reach was too far to escape. As if Vashoth children were owned by the Qun as surely as their forebears had been. How could she have so easily forgotten that part of the purpose of Ben-Hassrath was to re-educate recalcitrant Qunari? The Bull was far too good at his job. Even after her own attempted "reclamation" as a teen, she had still given him the benefit of the doubt. She was a fool.

"None," Leliana confirmed, and Jan stood abruptly, her chair knocking backwards.

She went over to Josephine where she was making conversation with some guests and murmured, "I think the Bull took Aurora. Come."

Josephine shot her an incredulous look and excused herself from the conversation. Jan had enough presence of mind to also excuse herself, and then they moved quickly through the guests, Leliana trailing, to the lower levels. They could hear the wailing of a toddler as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

Erin was also drugged, limp in her chair. Her baby was standing in the pen, her face streaked with tears. There was no sign of Aurora.

Josephine turned into Jan, crumpling, and Leliana disappeared soundlessly. Jan stroked Josephine's hair, murmuring comfort, but she was somehow, oddly, numb to Josephine's distress. Her mind was flicking through the possibilities. He would have been moving quickly, but he had plenty of time to plan the escape beforehand. Doubtless Leliana's spies had already mapped out each entrance and exit to Skyhold, but the preparations had to have been oriented around intruders, not escapees.

"We will find her, Josephine," Jan said, releasing her. A relentless energy was coursing through her veins, driving her to move, but she forced herself to look at Josephine. Josephine needed her.

Josephine pulled reluctantly away and nodded, and Jan wiped the tears from her cheeks. "You're gone again," Josephine whispered, and Jan opened her mouth to protest. "I understand," Josephine said, putting her fingers across Jan's lips. "Let's go."

Jan hesitated. "I am as afraid as you are," she tried to explain. It was true; if she waited for it, she could feel how the dread had turned her blood to ice. "I just - need to move."

"Move, then," Josephine said, taking her hand.

"Wait," Jan said, moving to the children's pen. She picked up Erin's daughter, who clung to her with familiarity. Together they moved back up to the Great Hall. Jan found a staff person and gave Erin's daughter to him, explaining the situation in a few words. Then they dodged through their guests to the War Room.

As expected, Cullen and Leliana were already crouched over a map of the castle. There was a dozen scouts and spies rallied up, and more appeared by the moment, in full gear. "We must move quickly," Jan said. "Do you have any leads?"

"We have people circling Skyhold. Fortunately, it snowed last night, so fresh tracks should be easy to find."

"I should gear up," Jan said shortly, and squeezed Josephine's hand. Josephine nodded miserably and released her, and Jan ran through the party down to the Undercroft. She wouldn't go out of her way to disrupt their guests, but she wouldn't avoid disrupting them, either. Her leather-and-scale armor was much easier to strap on than the last set, and she added a few daggers and the greataxe, though she could not imagine using it. She picked out her warmest cloak, and also slipped a few tack rations into one of her pouches. It could be a long hunt, and she wouldn't return for food.

When she returned to the Great Hall, Josephine and Leliana were gone and Cullen was still crouched over the map. "They found fresh tracks bigger than a man's, leading along the main road."

 _Strange,_ Jan thought. It was too obvious. She spun to catch up to Leliana and Josephine anyway, catching them on the long bridge. The rest of the Inner Circle was coalescing around them.

The tracks did indeed appear to be the Bull's. Jan tried to examine them with an untrained eye, and then she gave up, straightening. "Thank you for helping, everyone," Jan said, looking at the group, meeting each pair of eyes. She took Josephine's hand and together they followed the tracks.

Jan fought to quell her impatience. She had seen true Qunari working when she was a mercenary, and she knew that the Bull would not be walking.

"If it is a comfort, he will want her healthy," Jan said to Josephine. Josephine just shook her head, the words somehow provoking a fresh round of grief. Jan tried to repair the damage. "He is smart and very experienced. She will be safe with him."

"Stop talking, Jan," Josephine said, and Jan shut her mouth.

Ten minutes down the road, the tracks disappeared at the edge of a cliff. "A decoy," one of Leliana's hunters said. "He must have walked backwards over the tracks, back to Skyhold. It was skillfully done."

Jan bit back a string of curses. Leliana said, "My agents will have been exploring other options," her voice clear and even. "I will meet you back at the gates." She took off at a run, and Jan itched to join her. Her hand in Josephine's actually twitched, and Josephine released it, nodding toward the castle. Josephine's face was unreadable, almost cold. Jan gave her a grateful smile and followed after Leliana, pacing her as she reached the bridge.

"There are no more tracks to be found," one of Leliana's agents reported immediately. "But the crevice, as you know, does not hold snow for long. It would have been child's play to slip over the wall and climb down."

Leliana nodded shortly and Jan followed her around the outer wall of the castle to the crevice, a feature to which Jan had never before given a second thought. "But which direction would he have taken?" Leliana mused as her scouts began running lines and rope ladders down the face of the cliff. It was a deep enough gash in the earth that falling down it would be fatal, so Jan waited, impatiently pacing.

Josephine caught her eye as she approached with the rest of the group, and Jan met her. "I will be right back," Jan said, letting her hands fall into Josephine's hips in a rare public sign of affection.

"Find her," Josephine said, hands shaking where they fell on Jan's chest. She seemed to have forgiven Jan.

"Shhh," Jan said, taking her curled fingers and kissing them. "Don't worry." She tried to suppress the urge to release Josephine and return to the cliff face. The ropes must be secure by now.

"Must hardship follow us everywhere?" Josephine asked bitterly.

"It is the Inquisition. Once it is gone -"

"Quiet," Josephine snapped, glancing around. Nobody seemed to have heard her.

"We will live in peace," Jan finished, keeping her voice low.

Cole had already started down one of the ladders. Leliana stopped him and called the group together, running through the Inquisition's standard color flares. "We will have units of mages at each tower, waiting for your signals. Don't separate from your mage unless absolutely necessary." Her eyes met Jan's briefly, and Jan knew the instruction was intended for her.

Jan led the groups down the ropes to the rocky floor, and then started down the western branch of the jagged crevice. She took every long stride with care, bounding over the rocky crevice substrate. She didn't feel like she was running, but as Solas, Cole, and a smattering of Leliana's hunters sprinted after her, falling slowly farther and farther behind, she realized that she must be.

Aurora had probably been gone for an hour, now. Though it wasn't clear how long he had actually been fleeing, the Iron Bull could likely move at this pace for three.

The thought spurred Jan into a new burst of speed. The crevice had widened, now; six men could stand abreast here. She looked over her shoulder, but the jagged twists had already lost Solas and Cole. Without Solas, she had no way of sending a message to Skyhold, but it was unavoidable.

She fell easily into the rhythm of the run, imagining the Iron Bull around every corner. It was useless to worry that he had gone the other way. If he had gone the other way, they would catch him at the nearest port. The others would never move fast enough.

 _He won't go to the nearest port. He's a clever bastard._ She shook the thought off. One problem at a time. He had probably left the footprints earlier that day, of course. He could already be an hour ahead of Jan. How much faster than him would Jan need to run?

She pushed her body out of the rhythm. It wasn't fast enough. Her breath was coming in short bursts, but the panic of the moment was still fresh with her and she didn't feel the exertion. The Qunari could not take her child. She fed the fury of the thought into her legs.

She had never hated the Qun so much. She had never felt it so close, breathing down her neck, watching her every move. If the Qunari could not control her thoughts, they would try to control her by other means. And if they could not control her, they would take everything she loved and try to control it, too.

Finally, fatigue started to drag her down. She let her pace fall back down to normal, taking the chance to breathe. She needed to carefully place her feet among the volcanic rocks, and the effort of watching her own feet was draining. She focused on it completely, letting her body's complaints fall away in the comforting monotony of the run. And then she thought of the Iron Bull ahead of her with Aurora, and she let her stride lengthen again.

She heard a rock tumbling down ahead of her, and lightened her step, listening. It was almost impossible to distinguish, but yes - the sound of thundering footsteps ahead.

How long had she been running? It had felt endless, but it couldn't have been more than an hour. She placed each step more carefully, glancing up frequently to watch for the Bull. She didn't waste any sentiment on relief; this was a new challenge, now. Not to be seen until she was close enough to strike.

There he was, 500 meters ahead. He was running, but not as quickly as Jan. Perhaps his many nights at the Herald's Rest and his lack of missions had taken a toll. Or perhaps he had not expected to be followed with such speed. Where was Aurora? His pack was massive, but he couldn't have just put her in it - could he?

The crevice turned and Jan lost him again. She could still hear his footfalls, though. She put her hand on her dagger, slipping it from its sheath. This was no task for a greataxe. She would need to be close and precise.

She rounded the crevice, expecting to see the Bull, but he was gone. She searched frantically, slowing. Could he be climbing the wall? She could see nearly 1000 meters ahead of her, and he wasn't there. She listened - yes. Far distant, as before. He had started sprinting.

She choked down a curse and started sprinting, too. He must have noticed her. He thought he could lose her by picking up speed.

It transpired that he was not out of shape. He was fast, amazingly fast for such an enormous creature. She didn't see him again for a half hour, and in that half hour every muscle in Jan's body began screaming. Yes, he hadn't been on more than two Inquisition missions. But he had not fought Corypheus, either. He had not just slain a dragon last night, and then sealed the Breach to the Fade. He had slept all night last night, safe at home in his bed. And she was unspeakably tired.

But there he was, just ahead. He was still sprinting, but she was gaining, inch by inch. Twilight was rapidly falling; the crevice was already filled with shadow. One slip might be enough to allow him to escape, but she barrelled through the rocky crevice as if her life depended on it, and his life - his life didn't.

"You don't have to do this, Bull," she managed, through gasping breath. Her voice echoed strangely off the walls and the pounding stillness of impending twilight.

"It is my role," Bull replied simply, not looking behind him. He was using his hands to climb a particularly steep slope.

"You are more than Ben-Hassrath," Jan said. "You have a name. Please don't do this."

Bull turned suddenly toward her, and Jan glimpsed a wooden cask strapped to his chest. It was the size of a baby's coffin. _Aurora._

And then Bull hurled a massive rock at her face. It hit her cheek, taking part of her ear with it. Jan shook her head, trying to clear it, and Bull continued climbing the hill.

"Please," Jan said, trying one last time, following after him. He was close, and so far, moving like a gorilla through the rocks.

"When have you ever given a rat's ass about me, or the Chargers?" Bull rumbled. "Why should I help you now?"

"Is this revenge for my inattention?" Jan gasped. She was gaining on him. How would she stop him moving? Should she tackle him? How would she ensure that Aurora was not crushed by his hulking mass? "Was this your idea, Bull?"

"Of course not," he said, spinning and hurling another massive rock at her. This time she was more ready, but the rock still glanced off her shoulder. "It is the will of the Qun."

"Is it worth losing your own life?"

Bull laughed. "You might be the Herald, but you are not stronger than me, Adaar. And while I would prefer to return with my prize intact, this is not my daughter to protect."

It was true, but she was gaining on him. The slope of the hill meant his feet were closest to her hands, and he was focused on the climb. If he had drawn his weapon, maybe he could have beaten her. But he didn't.

She grabbed his ankle, and he tripped, grunting. He caught himself easily and rolled out of her grasp, and then he yelped, a short, helpless sound.

She wiped the blood off her dagger and stood, looming over him. "You will return to Skyhold and face judgment." It was not a trick that she had ever hoped to use, but it had worked. _Even the cut of a dagger can incapacitate an opponent. Cut clean to the bone, just behind the knee. Sever the hamstring; without it your opponent will not be able to take a step._ Percival was dead, now, dead for years, but his mentorship had saved her yet again.

The Bull looked up at her and then nodded, resigned. He was clever enough to know when he could not flee any longer. Just one healing potion would repair the tissue, and he could escape, but if he moved she would be on him. It wasn't worth the risk for him, at least not with Jan watching him so closely.

He loosened the straps on his chest, letting Jan take the wooden cask off his chest. She used the discarded straps to bind his hands and feet, and then disarmed him. He went along with it, complacent. She would wait for Solas and Cole to catch up to them, and they would carry him back to Skyhold.

The cask had been outfitted with a hinge and several clasps, and Jan opened the clasps with shaking hands, keeping an eye on Bull. The inside of the cask was lined snugly with wool, and Aurora was suspended in it with a tiny harness. It was easy to unfasten her, and Jan did so, despite the fact that she was likely much safer in the contraption.

It was like she was sleeping, but she didn't respond to Jan's jostling. Drugged, too, no doubt. If not for the slight whisper of her breath, Jan could have been holding her daughter's corpse.

Her eyes flicked back to the Bull, who was watching them with his big brown eyes, and then she kissed Aurora's cheek and held her close. The motion made headway against the coils of fear in Jan's chest. "It's OK, little one. You're safe now," Jan found herself saying, even though Aurora could not hear her. Her tiny face was already getting cold with the exposure, and Jan didn't have any blankets.

She hesitated to imprison her daughter in the cask, so she unfastened her cloak and carefully wrapped it twice around her, leaving an opening around her face. It was not as safe as Bull's method. But she could hold her and feel the slight puffs of her breath, which made it worth the risk.

It was a long half hour until Solas and Cole arrived. Jan did not speak to Bull, and he seemed content to wait, heedless of the pool of blood that was forming around his prone form. Jan's body slowly cooled off and she began shivering, the perspiration from the chase still slick against her skin, soaking her under armor. The shivering made it feel like her body had caught up to the seriousness of the situation. If Jan had not caught Bull, the chances of recovering Aurora would have been miniscule.

She remembered holding Aurora for the first time. Despite everything, it was such a surprise that Josephine's baby was so gray, the shape of her head so alien. She was so clearly Jan's child, and some part of Jan had been suddenly certain that Josephine would never accept this baby as her own. Why should she, when the infant was so clearly not human? When no features marked her as Josephine's? When recognizing the child might mean that she would lose everything that she had worked so hard for?

Jan accepted the full burden of motherhood, standing in the sun with her unnamed baby that morning. She knew that it would involve more than attentiveness and teaching; the daughter of the Inquisitor would be no stranger to physical peril. But she had hoped, maybe naively, that she could shelter this baby from the harshness of the life she had known. She, unlike her father, knew Thedas. Her name had raised the banners of an army that had shaken the very foundations of the world. Adaar was courage, strength, perseverance against all odds. If that could not buy security, what would?

When he and Cole reached them, Solas sent up a great blue flare from his staff, the agreed-upon code for "Aurora is safe, we are coming back." Leliana's hunters picked the Bull from the pool of blood, and they took the long trek back to Skyhold in the dark.

Halfway through the journey, the Bull threw off his captors, his body shining with the residual of a healing potion. He sprinted back down the crevice, and after a short chase the men gave it up. "It's not worth it. He's no threat, for now," Jan said, and they all grumbled and acquiesced.

Jan carried Aurora in her arms to the rope ladders and clambered carefully up the nearest one. It was fully dark, but Josephine was waiting for her at the top. Jan transferred Aurora into Josephine's arms and wrapped her arms around them both. Josephine was frantic with worry, even upon holding Aurora, but seeing Aurora safe in Josephine's arms calmed Jan. "This is the last time," Jan promised her. "I will do everything in my power to keep her safe." The Inquisition had to go.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody. I know this might be a little sad, but this definitely feels like the end to me. It's been a great run! Thank you for joining me.

"Absolutely not. You cannot disband the Inquisition. We still have so much work to do." Cassandra glared fiercely at Jan, who turned to Leliana.

"There is an alternative," Jan said. "We can dissolve all but our military arm, and integrate with the Chantry."

Leliana considered this for a few moments, her face clear and unruffled, and then she said, "Perhaps in a few years, once I am able to fully take control of the Chantry. I have much to do internally, and I will need to be completely focused on the apparatus currently in place." Leliana met Josephine's gaze, and then sighed and covered her eyes, suddenly vulnerable. "I expected you to ask this, and I'm sorry. How would we pay our soldiers, if suddenly an entire army was hired? I must act swiftly to reform the remaining Circles, and open the priesthood. The Inquisition would be a great burden, and no help."

"Then we dissolve," Jan said, standing up.

"I'm sorry," Cullen spoke up. "But who gave you the authority to dissolve the Inquisition? From what I remember, the Inquisition was founded by Cassandra and Leliana. So long as we have a military and the means to keep them - which we do - why would we consider disbanding?"

"I am tired of fighting," Jan said, making a fist on the table and looming over Cullen. "I can't continue like this. I am willing to do what needs to be done, but this," here she waved upward, her gesture encompassing Skyhold, "this is too much."

"Can we continue without her?" Cassandra asked Cullen, and they looked at each other, both considering the question.

Cullen spoke first, shaking his head. "No."

Jan stalked to the stained glass window, which had finally been installed, just a few days past. "I would like to make the announcement next week, if we all can agree. I think six months should be sufficient to tie off any loose ends. All our outposts should be handed over to the nations that contain them, and we should arrange that our soldiers be given the chance to integrate with the national armies."

The advisors shared a look with Jan's back turned, and then Josephine bent to her tablet, taking a meaningless note. Her eyes were burning, but she couldn't pin down exactly why. Was it because Jan had not mentioned that Empress Celene had offered her a House in Orlais if she disbanded the Inquisition? Everything else Jan said was true, and naturally Leliana knew the truth, but the deception still grated on Josephine.

"I plan to purchase an estate in Val Chevin. I will continue to close the remaining Rifts, but perhaps under a new banner. Leliana, if you will take me, the Inquisition's remaining funds, and a legion of the Inquisition's finest?"

" _That_ I can arrange," Leliana said, a laugh in her voice. "You're prepared to work for the Chantry? To work for me?"

Jan shrugged at her. "Under your Chantry, yes. We will work out the details." She met each of the advisors' eyes. "So it's decided."

"I suppose it is," Cassandra muttered. "Foolish girl."

Jan inclined her head at Cassandra, and then left the room.

* * *

 

"A lovely day," Josephine said, letting her fingers intertwine Jan's. "The breakfast was incredible. No trouble at the palace -" Jan laughed at that "- and now, somehow you've found the Royal Gardens." Josephine knew where the gardens were, of course, but Jan had threaded the way through the hallways with surprising acuity, considering that she'd never been to the palace before. Had she memorized a map?

They were walking along a row of roses. "It's nice to have the documents in hand. I don't think I realized how nervous I was that Celene wouldn't keep her word."

Josephine waved her hand. "That is why we secured your nobility now, before fully disbanding the Inquisition. You worry too much."

Jan's eyes lit up. "Look," she said, leading Josephine to a familiar-looking bush. "The flowers."

She meant that this was the same bush that witnessed their first kiss in Skyhold. Josephine still had the flower Jan had tucked into her hair that day, and the memory of it was unexpectedly sweet.

Jan was twisting one of the flowers off the bush. Josephine watched as she carefully stripped off the thorns. "Did the flower in Skyhold also have thorns?" she asked curiously.

Jan grinned. "Yes. You didn't see me take them off?"

"I suppose I was distracted," Josephine said. Her chest fluttered anxiously. Something was wrong.

Jan finished stripping the thorns off, but instead of putting the flower in Josephine's hair, she handed it to her. A slender silver band was perched on top of the flower, and a diamond. Attached to each other. A ring.

Her eyes jumped up to Jan's, and Jan dropped to one knee.

"Josephine Montilyet, will you do me the great honor of accepting my hand in marriage?"

Josephine pressed her fingers against her mouth to contain the torrent of emotions, but her hand was already soaked in tears. She was shaking so much that the ring fell off the flower, and Jan caught it midair and then stood back up.

"Too early? Should I have waited a little longer?"

Josephine shook her head and collapsed into Jan's chest. Jan was still holding the ring, but she rubbed Josephine's back with her other hand, murmuring.

Finally, Josephine composed herself, and drew Jan down for a deep kiss.

"Why do you look so sad, Josephine?" Jan asked quietly. "What have I missed?"

"I'm not sad," Josephine managed. "I'm so happy."

"So will you? Marry me?"

"Of course," Josephine said, shaking her head. Jan was right; the tears were real, inexplicably. The potent mix of the surprise and drama of the moment produced an uncontrollable deluge of tears, which was possibly the only expression that Josephine's body could manage. "I never thought... you would do this. We've been planning to marry for the past two years."

"We've been waiting. For today," Jan clarified.

"You're perfect," Josephine said. "Thank you for waiting."

Jan took a deep breath and found Josephine's hand. She slipped the ring onto Josephine's finger and then pressed a kiss on top of it, her eyes playful.

Josephine finally smiled. "Sealed with a kiss?" she asked Jan.

"Yes. Like this," Jan said, and kissed her again.

* * *

 

Jan's skill at dancing had improved greatly since their last ball at the Winter Palace, although she still did not fully grasp the moments of rest. Josephine blamed herself entirely for this; at home, the moments of rest were perfect opportunities to hold Jan. She shamelessly indulged them, putting her head against Jan's chest and losing form completely. But in a ballroom, even the moments of rest were a show, and Jan floundered hopelessly through them.

The rest was easy. Each new dance was another set of moves in a sport Jan already knew; her effortless grace was born of her natural athleticism and the agility honed by a life spent in combat. She loved dancing with Josephine, and took every chance she had to do so. Jan had insisted that Josephine wear a dress, and Josephine matched the embroidery on the Inquisition's uniforms, a lilac yellow.

Josephine was happy to see the weight of the past few days' revelations lift from Jan's shoulders as she spun her around the ballroom, perhaps too giddy for perfect form, but certainly more than passable.

Halfway through this dance, Jan dropped Josephine's hands and said audibly, "Run." She turned on her heel and sprinted toward a table set in the corner of the ballroom floor, leaving a wake of disapproving glances. Josephine was just turning away when the explosion hit.

The shock wave flattened the patrons, shattering a hundred wine glasses. It set Josephine's ears ringing, pulse pounding in a dull panic. Upon checking, she was unhurt. She was the first to her feet, dizzy, and made her way to the corner of the ballroom.

There was nothing left of the table, and actual chunks of cooked human body parts were scattered around the crater left by the explosion. Most of the people in the corner were alive, some just barely. The sound of human suffering was loud in Josephine's ears.

Cole was already there, materializing from thin air. Josephine saw Cassandra vault over one of the ledges from the upper viewing balcony, and then she found Jan.

Jan's form-fitting red Inquisition uniform was in singed tatters. Half of Jan's face was stripped to the bone, and her eye socket was empty.

"Stupid," Josephine gasped, and then Jan moved, like a puppet, impossibly. She fumbled in a pocket and then downed a tiny vial, and her eye and the flesh on her face rematerialized, still raw and burned, but at least intact. Another vial would finish the job. "Stupid," Josephine said again, and pressed her forehead against Jan's. "What did you think you were going to do?"

Jan coughed and pushed herself upright. "Here," she said, and gave Josephine three vials.

"I have some," Josephine said, pressing the vials back into Jan's hand. They moved from body to body, Josephine as if in a dream. She dreaded moving to the next body, unable to imagine what she would find. Every body was a new nightmare.

When she ran out of potions, she made her way unsteadily up the stairs to the viewing level and closed her eyes, trying to steady herself against the wall. The unharmed patrons were lining the balcony, peering with undisguised fascination at the bloodbath below.

"This is the work of the Qunari," Jan's voice rang out from below, and Josephine opened her eyes to find her parents standing beside her. They all moved to the balcony, watching as Cassandra, Cole, Dorian, Cullen, and Varric formed around Jan. The Inner Circle of old, conspicuously reunited as Celene had hoped, but at such cost. Josephine had no doubt that Celene would be pleased.

"Two days ago we uncovered a plot to assassinate the leaders of every nation in Thedas, using these bombs." She gestured at the shattered remains of a round metal casing in the corner of the room. Despite the tatters of her dress uniform, despite the gruesome red burns still left on her face from the explosion, Jan held the room in rapt attention.

"The Inquisition worked with Divine Victoria to eliminate the bomb threat, but…." Here Jan faltered. "I am deeply sorry for the human loss caused by the incompetency of our forces," she said. "This is just one piece of the Qunari plot. With the grace of the Empress," Josephine internally applauded Jan at the aside, perfectly timed, casually pointed, deliberate, "the Inquisition will continue to work against the Qunari. We will keep Thedas safe."

It was a political masterpiece, so flawless that a gnawing worry began in the back of Josephine's mind. It was too perfect. Doubtless Jan had not known about the bomb, but as she had just acknowledged, Leliana was also intimately involved in the movement of the bombs. Just one bomb would crater the ballroom and kill a half-dozen nobles. A small price for political unity, however temporary. A price the new Divine would readily pay.

No wonder she had spoken against Josephine's suggestion to delay the ball. Josephine found that her hands were shaking.

"She is an excellent speaker," Josephine's father said, and Josephine turned to her parents, burying her sudden fury.

"You've never heard her speak before," Josephine acknowledged. Jan had been scarce in the two years following their marriage, visiting her parents only twice. Her brothers had seen more of Jan in their visits to Orlais, but her parents had only met her a few times. "Indeed. She is a leader to put all others to shame."

It was perhaps too strong a sentiment, but Josephine jumped at the chance to express it. Why else were her parents here?

What if it had been them in the corner of that ballroom?

The knots of nobles were slowly breaking up, and Josephine glimpsed Jan making her way to Leliana. She inclined her head at her parents. "I'm sorry - can we continue this conversation over wine? I will meet you when this is dealt with."

"Of course," her mother said, and Josephine escaped, slipping through the nobles to Leliana's side. She barely beat Jan.

"We need to talk," Jan rumbled, and the group of them moved swiftly to the nearest open room. Cullen shut the doors behind them, and Jan turned on Leliana. "How dare you do this?"

Josephine was quickly at her side. "An act of terrorism. Don't try to deny it."

Leliana maintained a smile, one of the deadlier of her repertoire. "I am not responsible for that bomb," she said glacially, meeting their eyes. "There were dozens of them, and a Qunari agent for each one. I had hoped that we could stop the threat, and indeed, we did. But I am not surprised that we missed just one of the many."

"How did it get onto the ballroom floor, when every noble man and woman was searched upon entry to the grounds?" Jan fumed, and then spun away from Leliana. "Unbelievable. Where is your sense of humanity?"

Cassandra stood beside Leliana. "Do not impinge on the Divine's honor without any form of proof," she cautioned, her eyes distant. "This conversation is getting us nowhere."

They stood in silence for a minute, each with their own thoughts. Jan had called them the Inquisition, at the behest of Empress Celene, but they had not truly been the Inquisition for years. They were her friends, yes - they would gather at her call, stand beside her when disaster struck. But Cassandra spent almost all of her time in the Hunterhorn Mountains, rebuilding the Seekers. Cullen had his own retreat, granted by Leliana two years ago, a sensible retirement for those of the templar order who longed to be free of their addiction to lyrium. This was the first time Jan had seen her beloved Dorian since he left for Tevinter after the Inquisition disbanded. Cole preferred his travels with Maryden to the predictable doldrum of Jan's work; he was tired of killing, and Jan let him go. And Varric was busy with Hawke in Kirkwall, doing work that Jan prized far and above the sealing of the occasional Fade Rift. The once inseparable group had drifted apart, and it was easy to see the distance in their faces as they stood there, considering what Leliana had done, weighing it against what she had gifted them.

And then Jan's hand crackled, and their attention turned back to her. She was bent over, helplessly grasping her forearm. The Elven magic was bursting through her glove, shooting all the way up her forearm.

"Fuck," Jan grated out, and finally the crackling died down. They circled around her, united, finally, in concern.

Jan straightened and looked around the group. Finally she spoke. "It's been getting worse. I thought that it had stabilized." Josephine knew this, but seeing Jan admit it in front of the group sent a pang of dread into her gut. It was worse than Jan had admitted to her in the privacy of their bedchamber. It was always worse.

"It seems I've sealed too many Rifts," she said, but her smile didn't reach her eyes. Nobody smiled back. "And the Elven magic that the Qunari have been playing around with hasn't helped, either. I don't know how much time I have left." She locked eyes with Leliana, grimacing at her. "I plan to move on Darvaarad. At least I will be able to do some real good before this _thing_ -" She sighed and looked at Josephine, and Josephine took the step to her. Jan accepted the embrace, and Josephine closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of singed fabric and Jan's body. _She is talking about dying. Again._

Josephine choked down the lump of panic in her chest. There would be time for panic. She released Jan and took stock of the circle of her companions.

"We are here to support you," Cassandra finally said. "In whatever way we can."

The rest nodded and murmured, and then Dorian said, "Come now. You are far too pretty to die of a silly thing like that, whatever the mistake your parents made in naming you."

Jan rolled her eyes and they dispersed, each to their own bedchambers. Josephine dragged Jan to her parents' room, where they exchanged awkward pleasantries and discussed nothing. Then she took Jan to bed and smothered her in affection until exhaustion overcame Jan.

Josephine couldn't sleep, but she let Jan go, watching her until the sky brightened, wishing for Aurora. They had left her at the estate, unwilling to put their comfort over her safety in the constantly-danger-fraught Winter Palace, but Josephine always regretted leaving her behind. She was the same age as the spirit had appeared to them in the Fade, and with each year that passed she grew more precious, more clever, more aware. She could not imagine the endless day to come, waiting for Jan, alone. What would she do?

Jan woke when the sun's rays hit her face, and she smiled sleepily up at Josephine. Josephine peppered her face with kisses and Jan pulled her on top of her, and Josephine finally cried, hating the Mark, hating Jan for her worthless, dogged heroism, and most of all, hating herself for her own selfishness. Finally she released Jan, and Jan shared a miserable breakfast with her and then disappeared into the Eluvian.


End file.
